The Smoking Drinker

The Smoking Drinker combines two of Teniers’ most characteristic genre motifs: tobacco smoking and beer drinking, the twin pillars of Flemish peasant leisure. Tobacco, introduced to Europe in the 16th century, had become ubiquitous in the Low Countries by Teniers’ time, and his smoker images document its cultural integration. Characteristic of the artist's mature approach, the work displays small-scale genre scenes of peasant taverns and village fairs, silvery tonal palette, technical facility and spontaneity, theatrical compositions enlivened with incident and humor.

Teniers renders the figure with close attention to the smoke’s wispy trails and the drinker’s ruddy complexion. His technique of warm interior lighting creates intimate atmosphere in the compact composition.